Dry dock



Feb. 17. 1925. 1,526,447

' D. E. WILLIAMS DRY DOCK Original Filed Oct. 16, 1 919 lv i N A Ian/flan WATIIE- M HIGH Ware Law wvl-m Il n Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID E. WILLIAMS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, SARA. E. WILLIAMS ADMINISTRATRIX 0F SAID DAVID E. WILLIAMS, DEGEASED.

DRY DOCK Application led October 16, 1919, Serial No, $30,972. Renewed July 21, 1924.

To all /wwm 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, DAVID E. IVILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and Y State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dry Docks, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

The present improvements, relating to dry docks, have more particular regard to a dry dock of the type described and broadly claimed in my co-pending application y filed May 7, 1919, Serial No. 295,722.

Briefly stated, this dock consists of a structure of monolithic concrete in the form of an open normally buoyant rectangular vessel having its one end removed and adapted to be closed by a gate, the floor of said vessel extending beyond the side walls thereof, and a back-fill resting on such projecting licor-portion and retaining the structure in place below the water level at a depth adapting the same to receive vessels requiring to be docked. As described in said co-pending application, the vessel in question is constructed out of water, and is then launched or set afloat in the water and fioated under its own buoyancy to a previously prepared slip or basin; and after the dock has been properly positioned in such basin, with its outer end of course directed toward the channel, it is sunk to the desired level and Y there maintained firmly in place by filling in earth around its side walls so as to cause same to rest on such projecting floor portion. It has been found, however, that in some cases it may be desirable to locate the dock in effect in open water, instead of in a slip or basin cut to approximately the dimensions of such dock in plan. The object of the present modification in construction, accordingly, is to adapt the dock structure for the retention of earth or equivalent ballast on such laterally extending floor portion, irrespective of whether there be a solid earth wall adjacent the side wall of the dock or not.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related objects, the invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully dcscribed and particularly pointed out inthe claims, the annexed drawing and the follow:J

ing description setting forth in detail cer tain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawingz- Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view `of my present improved design of dock; and Fig. 2 is a broken plan view of the same.

The general features of construction of the present dock being the same as in the case of my previous design fully described in my aforesaid co-pending application, it is believed unnecessary to show a full plan of the same or such details as the gate or caisson, which is used to close the open end of the dock. As already indicated, the dock is poured or molded in a suitable form or forms so as to be an integral monolithic concrete vessel, of general rectangular form, with one end wall omitted so as to leave such end open. In order that the walls 1 may be made as thin as possible, such walls are suitably reinforced by means of metal reinforcing rods or the like embedded therein, as need not be described in detail for the purpose in hand, and are then furthermore provided with integral buttresses 2, either within or without or both within and without, placed at suitable intervals along the sides and the closed end of the structure. The floor 3 of the structure is constructed of relatively thin section, supported by a plurality of inverted transverse ribs or girders 5, and by a plurality of longitudinal girders 4 spanning in such a fashion as to provide the same resistance to the forces of buoyancy as would be provided in the event the iioor was built of a solid mass of concrete or masonry of a thickness suilicient to overcome the hydrostatic head by dead weight. The transverse girders 5 preferably correspond in location with the aforesaid buttresses 2, the bases 5a of such buttresses on the outside of the walls l constituting in effect merely continuations of the corresponding girders. It will be further noted that the floor extends beyond the walls on either side of the structure, it being upon these laterally projecting floor portions 6, or rather upon such corresponding girder extensions 5, that the external buttresses proper have their base.

This present dock is constructed in auch a manner that oneehalf or more ofthe weight required to overcome vbuoyancy is .composed of inexpensive material such as soil or sand as compared with solid masonry or concrete as used in the usual manner of graving dock construction, thus permitting the use of small sections and the more economical arranfement of material. The forces acting on the bottom of the dock are collected by the floor system and transmitted tothe transverse Oirders, which in turn transmit such forces to the foundations or to the vertical abutments that coincidewith such transverse girders; while vconversely the forces acting on thc-,side walls of the dock are collected and transn'iitted to the vertical buttresses and in turn to such coinciding transverse girders.

lt will furthermore be seen that the two sets of forces just referred to oppose each other and, to the extent that they are equal, such forces will neutralize each other.v ln other words the two rows of piles or blocks upon which the doclris vbrought toi-est with its respective side walls located .tliereover, constitute in effect lines upon which the longitudinal halves of the dock may be regarded as being fulcrumed. rl`he hydrostatic Y Y pressure acting on the bottom of the Ydock is converted" into a turning effect that is resisted by the counterturning effect of the pr ssure against the `side walls, just as if such pressures were applied to the two arms of a bell crank.

The forco'oing statement has regard more especially to the situation where the dock is empt-y. lllhen it is full, the hydrostatic pressure under the floor is. of course more nearly balanced by the weight of the water within. In this condition, itis the pressure against the side walls that requires toV be resisted, but here the principle ofconstruction just explained comes into play again, but in reverse fashion, i. e.` the bottom system, by being tied to the side walls through the coincidentV transverse 4girders and buttrcsses resists the turning movement, just as before.

To meetv the exigency of the situation above referred to, where no permanent earth wall is closely enough adjacent to the side wall of the` structure to retain in place the earth which is designed to be filled in and rest upon'such projecting girder extensions and floor portions 6, l employ a supplemental orcurtain wall 10 which 'rises integrally from the outer edge of the floor portion 6 parallel with and to a height necessary to retain suilicient earth or a height sufficient to help support a pier, as willbepresently eX- plained. rlhis wall 10 is formed of concrete in the same fas lion as such main wall 1, and is strengthened by vertical ribs 11. corresponding in position with the buttresses 2, and tied `through the medium of transverse members 12 to such buttresses and thus to the main wall, said structure acting as a unit to resist overturning of walls. rilhis outer wall 10 with its vertical ribs and transverse members 12 together with the buttress inner .wall acts as a unit to transmit the turning thev reception of pumping machinery andV other operating equipment, vwith the difference thatin the present case such chambers are designed for the reception land retention of earth or equivalent ballast.

ln other words, after thedock has been properly positioned over the site previously prepared for it, it is sunk to the desired level and there maintained permanently in place by filling earth into these chambers until the normal buoyancy of the structure is sufliciently overcome to bring the bottom of such structure to such desired level. Such level, as before, is desirably determined by the tops of piling 13 .orequivalent -means located under'the respective side` and endrwalls of the doclr at suitable spaced intervals. Should it ever be desired to move or transfer the dock, this can .be readily accomplished by simply removing the earth thus yfilled into the chambers between the aforesaid walls of the structure. Y, A

I also show in F ig. 1 a culvert 14 that exe tends longitudinally of the basey of each main wall 1, such culvert being connected with the interior of the dock through the medium of ducts 15, so as to drain the latter to thev pump chambers (shown inmycopending application) when the dock is being emptied. 1 also showA a platform or pier 16 as being. supported above the walls 1 and 10 covering the chamber between the latter,

into which the earth is filled as aforesaid' to properly weight down the dock. n

@ther modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as `regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by anyl of therfollowing'. claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

1 therefore particularly point out and distinctlyY claim as my invention f 1. A dry-dock comprising a normally buoyant structure of monolithic concrete in the form of an open rectangular vessel, the floor of said vessel extending beyond the'side walls thereof, a plurality of spaced buttresses rising from the floor of said vessel along the outside of the walls thereof, and a curtain wall on said projecting door-portion, spaced from the adjacent side-wall buttied thereto through such outside buttresses so as to provide a chamber laterally adjacent to said dry-dock, such chamber being open above for the reception of earth or equivalent ballast, said spaced buttresses along said outside Walls and curtain walls being adapted to collect the forces acting on said walls and transmit the same to the bottom of said vessel.

2. A dry-dock comprising a normally buoyant structure of monolithic concrete in the form of an open rectangular vessel, the floor of said vessel extending beyond the side Walls thereof, a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending transversely of the floor of said vessel, a plurality of spaced buttresses rising from the floor of said vessel along both the inside and outside of the Walls thereof, and a curtain wall on said projecting floor-portion, spaced from the adjacent side-Wall but tied thereto through such outside buttresses, so as to provide a chamber laterally adjacent to said dry-dock, such chamber being open above for the reception of earth or equivalent ballast, said ribs and buttresses on said outside and curtain Walls being adapted to collect the forces acting on the bottom of the vessel and on the Walls respectively and to oppose the same each to the other. 1

3. A dry-dock comprising a normally buoyant structure of monolithic concrete in the form of an open rectangular vessel, the floor of said vessel extending beyond the side Walls thereof, a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending transversely of the floor of said vessel, a curtain Wall on said projecting Hoor portion spaced from the adjacent side Wall so as to provide a chamber laterally adjacent to said dry-dock, such chamber being open above for the reception of ballast material, buttresses on said side Walls and curtain walls aligned with said ribs and adapted to tie said curtain and said walls together to act as a unit, said buttresses and ribs being adapted to collect the forces acting on the bottom and Walls of said dry-dock respectively and to oppose tlieisame each to the other.

4. A. dry-dock comprising a normally buoyant structure of monolithic concrete in the form of an open rectangular vessel, the floor of said vessel extending beyond the side Walls thereof, a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending transversely of the floor of said vessel, al curtain Wall on said projecting floor portion spaced from the adjacent side Wall so as to provide a chamber laterally adjacent to said drydock, such chamber being open above for the reception of ballast material, buttresses on the side Walls and ribs on said curtain Walls and extending into vsaid buttresses on said side Walls, and transverse members connecting said ribs and buttresses to tie said curtain and side Wall together to act as a unit, said buttresses and ribs being adapted to collect the forces acting on the bott-om and Walls' of said dry-dock respectively and to oppose the same each to the other.

Signed by me, this 7th day of October, 1919.

DAVID E. WILLIAMS. 

